


trying

by michpat6



Series: aftermath [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, the stable guy ships zelink, they cute, zelda gets a horse!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27923035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michpat6/pseuds/michpat6
Summary: Her eyes shine and oh Goddesses, he screwed up. He isn’t trying to make her cry, he’s trying to make her smile and she’s already having a Bad Day and of course he’d only make it worse by doing this, by reminding her of her horse that died while she was trapped and he was sleeping.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: aftermath [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033743
Comments: 11
Kudos: 177





	trying

There’s no way around Blatchery Plain. It had stormed all through the daylight of day fifteen, keeping them stuck in the stable, but at night the rain’s finally stopped. Unfortunately, trees have fallen all over the road leading through Fort Hateno, and Link isn’t sure if the Sheikah Slate can teleport two people at once. He’s too nervous to try it, especially with Zelda in such a fragile, Bad Day state, which means they either cross the valley of dead Guardians, or wait the four days it’ll take the stable staff to clear the road.

“It’s up to you,” he tells her. “I’m fine waiting, we’re in no rush.”

She’s sitting at the small table where Traysi’s newest Rumor Mill, Volume 8, lays open, idly flipping through the pages and reading aloud, “’Hey there, Traysi here, with another installment of my famous Rumor Mill! Our topic today is Hyrule-renowned traveler Link. I’ve seen him walking from the area surrounding Hyrule Castle with a stranger: a blonde girl in a white dress. Rumor has it she’s his girlfriend! I hope that isn’t true, because a nice, attractive young man like that should be with someone like me! Traysi’s Recommendation: One Star.’”

Link’s face flushes. Hearing Traysi’s compliments in the tones of Zelda’s voice, hearing her say what comes after, makes him feel warm. “Zelda-“

“We should cross the plain tonight,” she says with a bitter tone, slamming the Rumor Mill shut and getting to her feet. “I’d love to finally get out of this stupid dress.”

There are women’s clothes waiting for her at the house, ones he bought the day before he went to fight the Calamity. When they were in Kakariko, he had offered to buy her some Sheikah armor so she could, like she wants, get out of the century-old prayer dress because none of his clothes are her size, but she had told him no. That she was fine still wearing it, that she could wait until they were at Hateno and she could change into clothes of her own.

He doesn’t bring that conversation up to her, not wanting her to snap at him out of the anger that’s appeared out of nowhere. It’s dark out, but the Bad Day isn’t over yet.

Link tries not to be too critical of the princess’ mood swings. He remembers when he had Bad Days of his own, in the first few months after leaving the Great Plateau, of how the pressure of everything on his shoulders just got to be too much, and how he would sometimes not move from wherever he camped for hours, staring out at the world and wondering why he was still in it. He still gets Bad Days, but he’s learned to fight through that state of mind.

Zelda has just been thrown into the heat of that battle, and all she has to defend herself is a Korok Leaf.

“All right,” Link stares out at Blatchery Plain, at the sea of dead Guardians between them and Fort Hateno.  Junior is too tired to make it all the way.  “I’m going to take out another horse.”

Zelda nods, and he walks up to the stable owner.

“I need to board Spots Junior and take another horse,” he says.

“Sure thing,” The owner replies, opening a drawer and digging through papers. He hands him one with his name on it, and a list of his horse’s names. “Which one do you want to take?”

Link only has two remaining horses: The Giant Horse (which he named Smalls), and the white horse, which was his most recent addition to his stock. He has yet to name it.

He also has the Master Cycle from that monk he fought over the Great Plateau, but he wants that to be a surprise for Zelda, for when she eventually commandeers the Sheikah Slate from him, an event he’s been waiting for. As soon as she does it, he’ll know she’s feeling like her old self and up to pushing the new Sheikah rune to its limits.

He just hopes Purah doesn’t mention it before he’s able to show her on his own.

“The white horse,” he decides. He thinks it’s going to cheer Zelda up to know that her horse survived the Calamity and had children. “Can you put the royal gear on it for me?”

The owner smiles and leans in close, raising his hand to the side of his mouth and whispering, “Looking to impress that friend of yours, are you?”

Link swallows. He’s just trying to make her happy. Bringing her her horse isn’t…It’s not  _romantic_ , is it? “No.”

The owner’s smile widens. “White horse and royal gear, coming right up.”

Link heads back to where Zelda broods at the table. She’s staring down at her right hand, flexing her fingers. She frowns when they glow gold and then immediately fade.

“Your power probably needs rest, too,” he whispers, not wanting to be overheard by the stable attendants that drift in from outside.

“I used it for a hundred years straight,” she whispers back. “I…I sealed the Calamity. I’ve fulfilled my purpose.” she looks up at him. “What if it goes away? What purpose do I serve then?”

“You get to celebrate your victory. Live your life knowing you saved Hyrule.”

“You saved it with me,” she looks at the Master Sword on his back. “You fulfilled your purpose, too.”

“I haven’t, Zelda,” Link tells her. “My purpose is you.”

She stares at him, then, searching his eyes with a strange, open expression on her face. No one has ever looked at him like she looks at him now, so he can’t figure out what emotion it is or remember if she’s ever looked at him like that Before, much less what it means.

The stable owner calls his name, grabbing their attention, and Zelda gasps when she sees the white horse adorned in royal gear.

“Is that...” she trails off. “Is that my...”

“A descendant,” Link murmurs. “I found her near Outskirt Stable on Safula Hill. A man named Toffa gave me the gear. It was passed down from his grandfather.”

Her eyes shine and oh Goddesses, he screwed up. He isn’t trying to make her cry, he’s trying to make her  smile and she’s already having a Bad Day and of  course he’d only make it worse by doing _this_ , by reminding her of her horse that died while she was trapped and he was sleeping. They already have to cross Blatchery Plain, which is bad enough, but this is just the icing on the cake and he should have sucked it up and asked for Smalls and suffered the cramps in his legs and let her yell at him for no reason because it’s what he  _deserves_ for making her cry-

Zelda engulfs him in a hug that feels light but what must be taking all of her strength, sniffling.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

Over her shoulder, the stable owner gives him a big grin and two thumbs up. Link can’t help but laugh and smile back as he tells her, “You’re welcome,” and notes to bring the man some sort of gift the next time he stops by.

The white horse, even fully tamed like it is now, has always been skittish with him, has always been a little resistant to his commands despite his coaxing of it with many apples. He warns Zelda as such, giving her an apple and watching the animal closely in case it gets scared and tries to kick her, but when she goes up to it the white horse doesn’t freak out. It doesn’t whine and back away and shy from her approach like it does with him. Instead, the horse takes the apple from her hands without issue, nuzzling its face into her palms once it swallows.

The princess laughs a little, petting her new steed.

“‘Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount’,” she echoes, looking at him with a small smile. “I think he likes me.”

“Me, too,” Link manages, throat suddenly dry. “Do you need help mounting him?”

She nods, moving the horse’s side and putting a foot in the stirrup, grabbing the reins with one hand and the edge of the saddle in the other. He steps up behind her, grabs her hips, and lifts her up onto the saddle with ease, listening to her breath hitch as she rises. Then he takes a step back and examines how she’s sitting, making sure she’s positioned right and that her grip is secure.

“Looks good,” he says, resting his hands on his hips as he stares up at her. “You’ve got a name for him?”

“Well,” she thinks. “My horse was named Storm, and following the traditional horse-naming rituals-“

“The what?”

“The Hyrulean tradition of naming second horses-”

Link frowns. “Zelda-”

Zelda laughs. “His name is Storm Junior, Link. It seems I’m still bad at making jokes?”

Oh.  _Oh_ , he gets it.

“No,” he says. “You just...need to be more clear?”

And she’s laughing again.

Toffa’s grandfather claimed that the sight of Zelda on her horse was indescribably beautiful.

And with her like this, laughing at his stupidity at the end of a Bad Day, Link agrees. 

**Author's Note:**

> tag yourself im the stable guy


End file.
